Tag: Stipa gigantea

In the second of our two posts about Bury Court, we look at the garden designed by Christopher Bradley-Hole.

The front garden was a later addition to Bury Court and provides a contrast to the courtyard garden. This garden is designed around a formal grid pattern of rusted steel-edged beds and gravel paths and the garden is planted with swathes of tall grasses mixed with carefully selected flowering perennials to create a dream-like meadow feel.* A contemporary reflective pool and seating area are at its heart.

The linear design of the seating area ties in with the grid pattern of the garden layout. The spaces between the wooden uprights provide framed vistas of the surrounding garden.

The arching stems and golden flowerheads of the grass Stipa gigantea stand out amongst the greenery of the surrounding foliage.

Hakonechloa macra ‘Alboaurea’ cascades over the side of the corten steel edging.

The dark pool reflects the sky and the foliage of the grasses that run alongside.

The masses of rich red bottle brush-like flowers of Sanguisorba officinalis form a silhouette against the sky.

One of the paths that intersect the garden flanked either side by deep borders filled with different grasses and perennials.

A mass planting of Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’. The upright stems and form of the grass echo the vertical wooden panels of the building.

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Bury Court in Surrey showcases the work of two leading designers; Piet Oudolf and Christopher Bradley-Hole. Garden Design Eye were excited to get the opportunity to visit Bury Court where both of these designers have created gardens.

In the first of two blog posts we take a look at the walled garden at Bury Court designed by Piet Oudolf.

The contemporary walled garden is a well-known garden recognised for its grasses and hardy perennials. Planted in 1997, the walled garden was the first naturalistic garden designed by Piet Oudolf in Britain*. The planting in the garden is a mixture of the ornamental grasses and perennials that are his signature.

A cobbled stone pathway works its way around the garden and past luxuriantly planted borders and sculpted box and yew hedges.

As the visitor follows the path around the garden, different vistas of the garden and its areas of planting are presented, such as the stylised meadow in the background of the photos above and below.

The meadow planting uses Molinia grasses and is interspersed with red clover “Trifolium rubens” and foxgloves, plus other perennials.

A closer view of the meadow planting, here the emerging stems of Allium sphaerocephalon mingle with the flower heads of the red clover.

The deep borders on the eastern side of the garden are filled with taller plants at the back of the border, such as the spires of the veronicastrum, and shorter plants at the front of the border, such as sedum and salvia.

The mass of plants jostle for space and spill over on to the path. Geranium, salvia and agastache are used repeatedly in the garden.

Stipa gigantea grasses add their stature, elegance and height to the borders.

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Grasses are loved for their natural beauty, versatility and elegance and rightly earn their place as indispensable plants in a garden. They can play a key part in a variety of design situations, and provide a stylish and dependable presence in the garden throughout the year which makes them especially valuable. We look at some great ways that grasses have been used in garden designs.

Blocks of Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldschleier’ are used in a minimalist and contemporary design. The gold flower heads contrast with the dark background and harmonise with the rich copper and buttery tones of the surrounding planting.

A more restful and relaxed planting scheme of grasses and herbaceous perennials by Tom Stuart Smith (above) and an informal herbaceous border by Dan Pearson (below) with grasses and perennials beautifully combined.

The textural qualities of grasses add movement and life to a border. In this garden of Christopher Bradley Hole, grasses billow out on to the gravel path (above), and the flower heads provide a golden haze above the lower growing foliage (below).

The pheasants tail grass has a pleasing arching habit. It has purple tinged flower spikes in summer and the evergreen leaves turn a rust brown in winter.

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’

A taller grass with an upright habit, Calamagrostis lends an architectural presence to the garden and can be used to add a strong vertical line to planting. Its useful in a variety of design situations and great for providing winter interest.

Deschampsia cespitosa

The tufted hair grass is a clump forming grass with a cloud of flowers. Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldschleier’ and the shorter ‘Goldtau’ put on a display of shimmering gold flowers.

Hakonechloa macra

A beautiful slow growing evergreen grass with a clump forming habit. It is useful in a variety of design situations. H. macra ‘Aureola’ has arching lime green thinly striped leaves.

Luzula sylvatica

The great woodrush is lower growing with strap like evergreen leaves. It can be useful as ground cover or as front of border planting.

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’

This is a very useful grass that can provide a structural element to a scheme. It has a mass of narrow curved green leaves with white midribs and a graceful presence in winter.

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus’

M. sinensis ‘Malepartus’ has a cascade of green foliage and feathery coppery brown flowerheads from late summer. It’s considered one of the easiest of the miscanthus to establish.

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Strictus’

Similar in appearance to M. sinensis ‘Zebrinus’ but with a more upright habit. Its eye catching variegation make it an interesting focal point plant for the border or container.

Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea ‘Transparent’

A taller grass with an open growth habit, ‘Transparent’ has a haze of flower heads that move with the wind.

Panicum virgatum ‘Rehbraun’

Panicum virgatum ‘Rehbraun’ has beautiful autumn colour when its leaves turn red. This grass is good in any garden soil in full sun.

Stipa gigantea

A large grass that grows into broad evergreen clumps with long stems and oat like flowers. Flowers from early summer to late summer.

Stipa tenuissima

This neat and compact grass has soft feathery stems with pale green flowerheads and the fine leaves gently wave in the slightest breeze. A great grass for providing interest through movement.